Patients will not know which type of implant they have been fitted with and may be anxious

Dr Sheila Adam, MDA

Some patients have already had to have their joints taken out and a new one put in - with any operation of this type exposing patients to extra risks.

The MDA is suggesting that all the 2,021 given these joints between 1990 and 1999 are checked over by their doctors for signs that the joints are wearing out prematurely.

Dr Sheila Adam, deputy chief medical officer, said: "We are aware that some patients who have received these joints have experienced a higher than expected rate of wear.

"In some cases this has led to patients having further hip or shoulder replacement surgery earlier than was originally expected.

"Because of this we have decided that all patients with these implants should be reviewed by their doctors."

Easy to trace

DePuy International says it will pay back the NHS if any more operations and joints are needed.

Tracing patients given this type of joint will be easy - the manufacturer is recorded in patient records, and patients should wait to be contacted rather than ring in to hospitals themselves, the MDA said.

Patients who have moved into a different area since having their operation should contact their new GP to check.

However, Dr Adam added: "Patients will not know which type of implant they have been fitted with and may be anxious. However, they should be reassured that the vast majority of hip and shoulder replacements are successful."

There is already concern that the NHS may be widely using less effective hip joints, and in many cases paying over the odds for them.

The government has ordered a review of the wide variety of joint types used in the UK, to select only those which work the best and offer the best value for money.

It recently launched a national register of hip joints so that the use of different types could be monitored.